UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #284
HAWKINS, KAY

HAWKINS, Kay (1913- )
Staff; Wife of Everett Hawkins (Professor of Economics)
At UW: 1965-1970

Interviewed: 1983	
Series: Faculty Wives
Interviewer: JoAnn Lampman
Length: 1.75 hours

Background; Canadian government positions; Marriage; Indonesia and Gajah Mada project; Invitation to come to UW; Employment in International Studies and Programs;  Developing artistic career; Involvement in Madison Art Guild and Madison Art Center.

Tape 1

00:00:02	Born in Ontario, Canada.  Father died in 1918.  Family moved to Toronto, then to Vancouver, B.C.  Description of family.

00:04:13	Father's death left family in severe financial straits.   So, mother kept house for students at university, married one of those students, 14 years younger than she was.

00:06:40	Speaks of stepfather and mother, and school life.

00:12:04	KH went to public high school, and won scholarship at University of British Columbia.  Majored in Latin and French, with Greek and German minors.  Had to work hard due to scholarship.

00:13:54	KH decided she wanted to be woman diplomat while in college.  Wanted to see world, thought her languages would help.

00:17:53	Graduated with honors in 1933.  Discovered that getting job with Canadian government would not be easy for a woman.

00:20:10	Decided to take business courses.

00:22:48	Heard about school for foreign affairs in Geneva, Switzerland.  Received scholarship for school, one of two offered.  School would give her better background for foreign affairs and government job.

00:29:21	Met Canadian officials in Geneva.  Offered job as secretary for Canadian Foreign Minister for delegation meeting.

00:33:30	Offered position full time.  Very prestigious job.  Lived in Geneva for six years. 

00:35:35	In Geneva when WWII broke out.  Stayed there until 1940, then was offered job with the Canadian government in New Zealand.

00:39:31	Went to Australia before New Zealand.  Met relatives there.

00:44:03	Describes job in New Zealand.  Ran office, even though she was only 28 years old.

00:45:41	End of side.

Tape 1, Side 2

00:45:52	Worked in External Affairs Department in Ottawa, after leaving New Zealand.  Offered job at National Film Board of Canada.  She was hired as officer of board.  Worked with press gallery; job involved much traveling.

00:49:16	Met husband, Everett Hawkins, a professor at Mount Holyoke College.  Difficult courtship, due to their locations at the time.  Met in 1949, married in 1951.

00:55:40	After marriage, she had to promise to leave America immediately, then come back in as wife of American.  Went to Washington D.C. afterward.

00:57:07	At time of marriage, she was being considered for job in Paris. This was the closest she came to being diplomat.  Felt she gave up great deal, as far as job and country went.

00:58:40	Husband asked to go to Indonesia.  KH had to become citizen first, in order to go.  Husband was to be program planning officer, during Korean War.  After one year, returned to Washington, D.C., for desk job in his field; labor and economics.

01:01:51	1954 went back to Mt. Holyoke.  After year, KH decided to do graduate work in Modern French Literature.  Taught in French Department after that.

01:02:52	Describes Mt. Holyoke, and the Economics department.  Greater part of faculty there were women, so not many faculty wives.

01:08:40	Did quite a bit of traveling with husband.  Went to Indonesia several times.  Husband offered position at UW.  

01:12:40	Chairman of department did not want to hire EH, as it cost too much money, due to his background.

01:14:16	Both came to UW for six months to decide about jobs.

01:15:25	KH talks about her painting.  Speaks about husband and home life.  Didn't have children, much to busy.

01:20:31	Speaks of Indonesian trips, and Indonesian student who came to live with them.

01:27:14	End of tape.

Tape 2

00:00:02	Came to UW in spring of 1963.  Lived at Professor Zingale's house on Lake Monona.

00:01:38	EH had to go to Indonesia for one and a half years, so actually came to UW in December of 1964.  Lived in Dick Hartshorne's house until they found their own.

00:05:17	EH doing much economic writing on Asia/Indonesia at this time.  KH helped type manuscripts.

00:07:30	KH joined art groups, more than groups of faculty wives.  KH never really a housewife.

00:09:43	Began working as program specialist in International Studies after husband's death.  Worked for three years, then offered job in Vancouver, B.C. as executive officer of World Federation for Mental Health, which was part of United Nations.  Moved to Vancouver, but had to give up job, due to ill health.  Came back to Madison and retired.  Continued painting.

00:13:39	Really not familiar with people in the UW anymore.

00:17:27	End of interview.

END